Lanky had peered at his wrist watch before replying.
“That’s long enough to put them up at Jed Marmette’s place,” Frank muttered, while the bow of the Rocket stood up from the river’s surface and the muffled exhaust told them they had full speed ahead. “Keep the spotlight ahead of us, Lanky, and watch close, so I can talk to the chief. They’re just about landing there now if they haven’t had any trouble.”
Frank detailed the story of the day’s exploits. He began with the search across the Parsons’ lawn; the discovery of the place where the rowboat had been landed and which they had seen on the night of the robbery; continued with the story of their lunch under the willows where the same rowboat had in all probability hidden from them on that same night; went on through the part of having to do with the discovery of the Marmette farm, with the old rowboat tied at the bank, of the trip of Jed Marmette to the barn, of his burying a small box under the grape arbor, and of their looking into the trunk.
He told of the things which they had seen in the trunk; then of their return to town for the purpose of informing the chief of police; then of the sudden summons for a trip to Coville; ending with the race back up the river after they had learned at the island of the proposed trip of another motor boat that night to the farm of Jed Marmette for the sole purpose of getting away with the loot from the Parsons place.
“Have you any idea who the men are?” asked the chief, when Frank had finished the story.
“I haven’t the slightest, Mr. Berry. The only thing that I am guessing at is that the Speedaway is the boat that left the island to-night and went up ahead of us.”
“What about Fred Cunningham? Did you see him? Is he on the Speedaway? Surely, he is not mixed up in this thing!” and the chief of police showed his surprise.
“No, I did not see Cunningham. I don’t know who is running the boat, and I am not sure it is the Speedaway. I said I was guessing. I couldn’t see well in the dark what boat it was, but it had her lines.” Frank wished to get his position very plain and definite with the chief.
Silence prevailed for several minutes, while Frank looked far ahead along the river, trying to make short cuts so that every foot of the distance which could be would be saved. The only sound was the exhaust of the Rocket as it slipped its best along the Harrapin River.
“I am trying to picture this whole thing over again. Will you tell me why you went back to the Parsons place?”